Trailer drawhead



Deen l Filed Feb; 21, 1925 F. M. REID TRAILER DRAWHEAD 3 Sheets-Sheei. 1

mil/wrokL @mma Maxam Pez-z Dec. 22l 1925.

F. M. REID TRAILER DRAWHEAD Y Filed Feb. 21, 1925 v3 'sheets-sheet a I NVEN TOR ATToRNEY.

Patented Dec. 22, 1925.

.UNITED s'rATEs 'PATE- NT1-0FFIcl-1. e

FREDERICK MALCOLM EID, OF DETROIT,` MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOB T FRUEHUFTRAILER' COMPANY, or DETROIT, MIcHIeAN, A coRCPonATroN or MICHIGAN."

Tmrnna 4DRAWHEAD.

' of Fig'. 2.

' the gear frame. This Be it known that I, FREDERIoKfMALcoLM REID, acitizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county ofWayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and 'usefulImprovements 1n Trailer Drawheads,

of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to draw headsfor a trailer or.similar vehicle.\It is the object of the invention to incorporate in a single fixturedevices which-serve to afford a detachable connection for; the tongue,which.

serve as a keeper'for a center lock, which serve as a table for thecenter lock to slide upon, and which serve as an anchor'for the frontends of thel center draft bars of a' gear frame or truck vframe. Thiswill be more fully explained in the detailed description following :I

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation ofa trailer embodying thisimproved draw head.

the raw head and detachable tongue.

Fig. 3 is a` front elevation of the draw head and the center lock.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 2 is a fragmentary plan viewshowing' Fig. 5 is 4a plan view of a. trailer equipped with my improveddrawhead.

@designates the chassis frame of the trail-.-v

er, b the frame of the truck, or what I term ame b has gusset plates atthe forward cor ers and is lsupported on the axle by means of the leaf(sprin c which are supported by shackles on the axle with the -front ofthe gear frame on each side, the connection being a pivotal one, on thestud or rod supported by the spring bracket f. Itis therefore apparentthat'the draft of the tractor is'communicated-to the axle by means ofthe radius rods and not through the springs; similarly-when the geartruck is being used to steer the trailer, the twisting strains areAcommunicated to the axle essentially through the radius rods. Thisattachment of the radius rods to the .spring brackets does not require along gear .truck as is usually the case, hence, the gear of a singlefixture or casting which not only reinforces the front of the 'geartruck -but e brackets f. A radius rod g connects` Appucauon alearebru'ary 21, 1925. sr1a1 No. 10,746.

acts both as athrust and as a bumper mem- 'u ber; it also enables ythelockingdevice to be now explain. y

The draw head is "a single casting provided with a pair of projectingsockets h-h',

vthese sockets permit the tongue cross shaft j tobe entered into vthemouth of the socket when the dat portion is turnedas shown in thedotted'line of Fig. 4. However, when the cross shaft is turned around tothe full lingJ position of Fig. 4, it cannot escape. Obviously when 'thelocking lever c has been swung back to the position shown in Fig. 2

(full'lines) it is impossible to turn the cross combined with-.thisdraw'head, as I shalll frame.; a coil spring r tends to project the noseof this bolt. into the keeper socket s which is formed of the front ofthe casting. A lever t is provided with a roll-like fulcrum u to whichis eccentrically pivoted at lv, the upper end of the sliding bolt. Inthe position'shown in the full lines of lI4`ig. 3 this sliding bolt isin an operative position.- If the lever is thrown to this positionbefore the bolt registers with thekeeper socket, the

same will slide along the table until the gear frame reaches the centerposition with respect to the' trailer frame.; thenvthe boltautomatically shoots linto the keeper socket;

to the posi-tion shown in the dotted lines of Fig. 3, the bolt isreliably released ahd heldv longitudinal center draft bars w. directlyto the draw head. The draw headis a relatively, heavy, strong casting,consequently the. draft of the hauling operation is almost entirelyeliminated from the rest of the gear frame and'is takenthrough they'single cast On the other hand', when the ever is thrown u tudinaldraft bars which connect at the polnt y with the trailer frame. It willbe obvious I. that this draw head makes a very useful fixture inconnection with such a type of trailer, as it does away with a number ofseparate ixtures that have to be separately made and riveted to thegearl frame. `In place of putting'the draft strains on the front cross.member of the gear frame, these Qare almost entirely carried by thisheavy draw head and through these connect to the center draft bars. Thecenter lock is not claimed in this application but in copendingapplication 10,7 47 y What I claim is: A

1. In a trailer, the combination of a gear frame having gusset plates atthe forward corners, a trailer frame towhich the gear frane is swiveled,and a draw head for the gearv frame, comprising a relatively strongcasting secured toV the front \of .the gear frame and extending fromone't-gu'sset plate to the other and serving to make the front of thegear frame a solid unit. i

2. In a trailer, the combination .of a gear i frame, a trailer frame towhich the gear frame is swiveled, and a draw head for the gear frame,comprising a relativelyl long casting reaching across the front of thegear frame and secured-.thereto and having an angle section, and alongitudinally extending draft bar anchored at its front end directly tothe draw head.

3. In a trailer, the combination of a gear frame, a trailer frame towhich the gear.

frame is swiveled, and a draw headcomprs- 'ing 'a relatively heavycasting reaching v across the front of the gear frame and rein-` forcingthe same', and provided with forwardly projecting integral j-tonguesocket near the endsv of said draw head, andone or more' central draftbars anchored directly! to i the draw head. y V

4. 1n a trailer, the combination of a'gear frame, a trailer frameitowhich the gear frame is swiveled, and a draw head-compris.

ing a-relatively heavy casting secured to. the

front of the gear frame and reinforcing the same. longitudinal -dr'aftbars v passing through the l gear frame and anchored to the the haulingstrain through the draw head to the swivelof the trailer. A 5. In atrailer, the combination of a gear` frame, a trailerA frame to which thegear frame is swiveled, and a draw head comprising a relatively heavycasting of T section,

-center ofthe draw head for communicating j i having at theends of thecasting, widely' spaced, forwardly projecting tongue sockets,

having at the center of thecasting a keeper for Va lock, the other partofrwhich is secured to the trailer frame. Y

In a trailer, the combination of a gear frame, atrailer frame providedwith a center lock and to which the gear frame is swiveled, and a drawhead, comprising a relatively heavy 'angle section casting extending along distance along the front of the gear frame and having Wldelyspaced, forwardly projecting tongue sockets, and having a flat uppersurface to act as a lock tablev and provided at the center with anopening in the ablc to form a keeper socket for the center 7. In atrailer, the combination of a gear frame, a trailer frame provided withan automatic lock and to which the gear frame is swiveled, and a drawhead comprising a relatively heavy castingrunning along and across thefront ofthe gear frame to reinforce the same and provided at the endswith widely'spaced.l forwardly projecting tongue sockets, and having aflat upper surface which acts as a table for the automaticvbolt,l

the said table provided in the center with -a keeper -socket and at therear providing an anchoring member, and draft bars for communicating thehaulin strainsto the sW1 Vel of the gear truck, sai Stringer bars beinganchored to 'said anchoring member of the draw head.

In testimony whereof Ihave' ailixed my u signature.

FREDERICK MALCOLM-REID. f

